Eva Coo
Encyclopedia
Eva Coo was an American
-Canadian murderer who was executed by electric chair
at Sing Sing Prison.
Born Eva Curry in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada
, she moved to Toronto while a teenager. There, she met and married William Coo, and together they moved to upstate New York
in 1921.
Eva Coo was entrusted with the care of one of her employees, a slow-witted handyman named Henry Wright, after the death of Wright's mother. Coo embezzled Wright's inheritance and burned down his house for insurance money. After purchasing several life insurance
policies on Wright, Coo then conspired to murder him with another employee, Martha Clift. On 14 June 1934, the two women drove Wright to an isolated location outside Oneonta, New York
. There, Eva allegedly hit him with a mallet and Martha ran over him with a car, a Willys-Knight
. They then dumped his body beside a road to simulate a hit-and-run
accident. Though little evidence has been provided to corroborate the bludgeoning with the mallet, it remains the symbol of the murder and the trial to this day.
Police suspected homicide and Clift confessed after an interrogation. She was convicted of second-degree murder and served thirteen years in prison, while Coo received a death sentence
. New York Post
writer and editor, Joseph Cookman
, wrote an account of Eva Coo's execution.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Canadian murderer who was executed by electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
at Sing Sing Prison.
Born Eva Curry in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, she moved to Toronto while a teenager. There, she met and married William Coo, and together they moved to upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1921.
Eva Coo was entrusted with the care of one of her employees, a slow-witted handyman named Henry Wright, after the death of Wright's mother. Coo embezzled Wright's inheritance and burned down his house for insurance money. After purchasing several life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
policies on Wright, Coo then conspired to murder him with another employee, Martha Clift. On 14 June 1934, the two women drove Wright to an isolated location outside Oneonta, New York
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...
. There, Eva allegedly hit him with a mallet and Martha ran over him with a car, a Willys-Knight
Willys-Knight
Willys-Knight is an automobile that was produced between 1914 and 1933 by the Willys-Overland Company of Toledo, Ohio.John North Willys purchased the Edwards Motor Car Company of Long Island, New York, in 1913, moving the operation to Elyria, Ohio, where Willys owned the plant that had previously...
. They then dumped his body beside a road to simulate a hit-and-run
Hit and run (vehicular)
Hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic accident , and failing to stop and identify oneself afterwards...
accident. Though little evidence has been provided to corroborate the bludgeoning with the mallet, it remains the symbol of the murder and the trial to this day.
Police suspected homicide and Clift confessed after an interrogation. She was convicted of second-degree murder and served thirteen years in prison, while Coo received a death sentence
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
. New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
writer and editor, Joseph Cookman
Joseph Cookman
Joseph ‘Joe’ Cookman was an American journalist, writer, critic and a founder of The Newspaper Guild.-Career:His professional career began in 1922 in New York City where he convinced the City Editor of the New York Telegram later known as the New York World-Telegram to give him a job as a...
, wrote an account of Eva Coo's execution.
See also
- List of individuals executed in New York
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
External links
- truTV Crime Library: The Last Stop
- Little Eva: Mallet Murderer from The Malefactor's Register